


Sister and Brother

by PanAndProud123



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: also I had to switch canon around a LOT, don't worry too much about the major character death thing, have fun :), just trust me, so ill explain that later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:53:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29435634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanAndProud123/pseuds/PanAndProud123
Summary: Jerome Valeska has a little... friend. And she is not one to fuck with.
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. So.  
> In my version of canon (which I will only use for this fanfic and maybe another), Jerome is like... 15, 16 in season 1. He did the whole Maniax thing, blah, blah blah, Oz is the Mayor, and Ed is the Chief of Staff, ya know. Ed is 30 in season 3, same as Oz, Jerome is 18. I know it's not canon, but I had to shape canon to fit my fic. Remember, kids: Don't work with canon. Make canon work for you.  
> Also just so you don't get confused; in the beginning a lot of it is going through Aria's early life. Anyways hope you enjoy :)

* * *

Aria was tense as she walked. Every second she wondered if someone was going to come up to her and take her back "home," or at least to her house. But the crowd couldn't care any less about the dark-eyed seven year old girl. They breezed by her without even giving her a second glance, going on their way. When Aria got older she realized that this was very strange; she was so young and left unsupervised and nobody had come to help her. But at that time, Aria was too tense to allow that realization to strike her. She decided to stop by a bench on the sidelines, looking over at the circus with longing in her eyes. Aria wanted to go watch, but she didn't have money to buy tickets, and getting kicked out could mean getting in trouble with her parents. 

Almost five minutes afterwards a boy sat down next to Aria. He was around her age, and he had dark green eyes that sparkled in the street lights, orange hair that nearly looked red, pale skin, and a wide smile. It was a very stark contrast to Aria, who had dull black eyes, dark hair that ran down to her shoulders, a California beach-worthy tan, and a blank expression. "Hi. You look lonely," the boy said. 

Aria shrugged. She swung her legs back and forth to have something to do. "I'm okay, I guess," she replied. "I don't really have any friends, though, so..."

The boy said, "I'll be your friend!"

Aria looked at him with something akin to confusion and hope in her eyes. "You will?"

"Yeah! I don't have any friends either, actually. Except my brother."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah. He's right..." The boy squinted his dark green eyes. "Over there. Miah!"

Aria waited. She then saw a boy who looked very similar to her new friend start approaching them, but this one had cheap yet thick glasses on. While his brother looked bright, cheerful, and slightly insane, Miah (apparently) looked highly intelligent and slightly cold. 

"Yes, Jerome? Oh, hello," he said shyly to Aria. 

The latter replied, "Hello." 

The first boy put an arm around Aria's shoulders. "This is my friend... What's your name ?"

"Aria."

"Oh. Nice name. I'm Jerome, and this is my brother Jeremiah, but I call him Miah."

Miah waved again, still very slyly. Aria waved back. "We can be friends, too," she said to him. 

"Ooh, let's be friends together!" Jerome offered enthusiastically. "We can hang out and... Stuff."

Aria giggled faintly. "Sure," she replied. 

Miah nodded. He sat down on the opposite end of Aria, still being very nervous and shy in his manners. Jerome straightened up, his eyes sparkling with sudden realization. "Ooh! Do you wanna watch the show? It starts in five minutes!"

Aria couldn't believe her luck. "Really?" She asked. 

"Really!" 

"Yeah, let's go!" Aria agreed. 

The three of them stood up and started walking over to the circus, Jerome telling jokes along the way. Aria decided she liked him; he was funny and nice, even if he was a little odd, too. But she also took a liking to Miah, who was rather quiet, but polite and kind as well. The three of them watched the show together, Jerome and Miah having quite a bit of knowledge on what was going to happen and who was doing what. 

Eventually they walked out together, Miah revealing that he and Jerome were the children to a snake dancer. When asked where she lived Aria simply replied, "You don't wanna go to my home. Trust me." Jerome and Miah decided not to prod, and they quickly went to another subject. They spent the rest of the day talking and getting to know each other better, moving around the streets and deciding to go to the park. Both Jerome and Miah were very kind and had quite a bit to talk about, as seven year old boys usually did. They were a fun lot to be with, Aria had to be honest. 

Eventually the topic of family came up. "Do you have any siblings?" Jerome asked. 

Aria paused. "I have an older brother," she replied.

"Really?" Miah asked. Aria nodded. "How old is he?"

"Uh... Like, 20?"

Jerome interjected, "Whoa, he's so old. What's his name?"

Aria replied, "Ed. He's in uniniversity right now, but someday he's gonna come back and take me with him." 

"Aww," Jerome whined. "But then we'd never be able to see you again!"

Aria thought hard about that. "Maybe I can ask him to take you guys with me."

"Really?" Miah asked. 

Aria gave him a wide beam. "Really! I'd think he would like you guys. Especially you, Miah. You're both really, really smart and stuff." 

The topic was changed soon after that. Aria couldn't remember what they talked about afterwards, but she could already feel a bittersweet spike of pain forming in her gut. She went back to thinking about her memories. 

Eventually the time for Aria to go back home came. Her new friends were very disappointed, and she herself reacted very similarly. "I'll come back tomorrow. See you here?" She asked. 

Both Jerome and Miah nodded enthusiastically. "See you," they both said just seconds after the other. 

Over the course of two years the three become close friends, to the point where everyone in the neighborhood knew them as "the group" or "those kids who always hang out in the park." Aria noticed that Miah's awkwardness around her slightly decreased over time, but it was still there. She was never sure why he was still nervous around her; did he not want to be her friend?

But the small conversations they had, the rarer ones where Jerome just listened on the sidelines, proved that otherwise. Aria knew from the look on Miah's face that he was for real, he did want to be friends, and he enjoyed the time they spent together. The three didn't go to the circus often after the first time; they preferred to spent time with each other. Mostly they sat around and talked, sometimes playing little word games or card games, but more commonly talking about nonsense. Favorite things to do when they were bored, good books (Miah), favorite jokes (Jerome), etc, etc. 

For a couple of years it was bliss. Aria finally had friends, people she actually cared about! But of course, all good things had to end. 

Aria wasn't expecting Jerome to come running to her frantically without Miah that day, tears streaming down his face. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down," Aria said to Jerome. 

"I- Miah-" he choked, unable to speak properly.

It took a while to calm Jerome down, but Aria managed to. Eventually Jerome told her that Miah had told Lila that he'd tried to kill him. Aria couldn't believe it. For a few moments she wondered if Jerome was lying, but he was so shaken, how could he be? But then she would have to pin Miah down as the lier. And it would be hard to do that. 

But Aria managed to. Miah continually lying and Jerome continually running to Aria for comfort helped a lot. The constant role of comforter was starting to wear off of Aria, but she put up with it. Jerome needed her; she wasn't going to push him away. But she couldn't believe Miah. Miah, her best friend, the only person Aria could geek out with and talk about books and scientific shit with. Miah, the quiet and awkward nerd who always smiled at Aria shyly and made mazes in his free time. 

How could he? How fucking could he? How could he lie like that about his own brother, to his own brother?! Aria never managed to wrap her head around that.

And then one day Miah was... Gone. He'd just left in the middle of the night. Neither of Jerome nor Aria knew what had happened until four years after that. But Jerome never recovered from it; not really.

A few weeks after it happened Jerome and Aria were out a bit later at night. Aria's parents were out on a business trip, and Lila didn't give a shit when Jerome came back. They were laying down on the grass and looking up at the stars. "Ari?" Jerome said quietly. 

Aria replied, "Hm?"

There was a small pause. "Do you... Think Miah's dead?"

Aria paused. She was always against lying to people, even if it was to comfort them. "I dunno," she simply replied. 

Jerome didn't say anything. "Where do you think he'd be if he were dead?"

His friend shrugged. "In heaven, maybe." 

A pause. "I think he's on Mars."

Aria thought about the time where she and Miah enthusiastically started talking about going to and potentially exploring Mars together. She chuckled faintly, even if it was bittersweet. "Mars sounds like a good idea." 

"He's probably sad." Aria allowed Jerome to continue, deciding not to prod. "Cause you're not there. And you wanted to go together. Right?"

Aria smiled. "Yeah." Silence passed between the two for a bit. "He's probably sad that you're not there, too." 

Jerome said nothing. "Where is Mars?"

Aria searched the sky for a few seconds. She eventually pointed to a star that was lightly tinted red. "There." 

Jerome smiled faintly. "Wait for us, okay?" He called out to the star. 

His friend chuckled a little. 

Eventually Jerome stopped going to Aria crying, stopped needing to cry on someone's shoulder, and it was an unspoken agreement that they would never bring the topic up again. The two always had an awkward gap in their friendship that Miah once filled, unsure how to close the space themselves. But they tried to move on, they really did.

It wasn't until Mr. Cicero told the two what had happened that they spoke of it again. He confessed that he knew what had happened and told them. Aria never liked Mr. Cicero much; he just didn't "radiate good vibes," but he was tolerable. After that had happened Aria and Jerome walked through the streets together, their shoulders pressed together tightly. It was their way of comforting each other; touching shoulders, bumping their legs together. 

Aria eventually entwined her and Jerome's pinkies. Another little thing of theirs, almost like their "language." Neither of them said anything; Aria was waiting for Jerome to speak, and the latter was trying to process everything.

"Why?" Jerome asked hollowly. Aria could barely believe that it was Jerome who was talking. "Why?"

Aria didn't know what to say. She simply replied, "I don't know."

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Then all of a sudden Jerome asked, "D'you think your brother's... ever gonna come back?" 

Aria flinched in surprise. At first she didn't respond. She knew the answer; she'd known the answer since she was twelve. But she didn't like it, didn't like having to come to terms with it. Then, finally, she coldly replied, "No."

A pause. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I don't need him." Aria raised her head up a little higher. "We don't need either of them." Jerome looked at his friend with confusion. Aria met his gaze with a confident yet kind look in her eyes. "I mean, we have each other, right?"

Jerome smiled, though his eyes were still slightly broken. "Yeah. We do." 

Aria gave him a small smile. "You know what? I'll be your brother. Or sister. Whatever. We're siblings." 

Jerome smiled slightly. "Hell yeah, we are." Then his eyes sparkled with a new idea. "We can get those, like, cheap rainbow necklaces at Claire's that say 'brother' and 'sister' on them, make it official."

Aria rolled her eyes playfully. "Okay, maybe not that last bit."

"Yes, that last bit." 

Aria laughed for a few seconds. Jerome followed her; the laugh felt nice. "Though, I wonder if, legally, we could make it official. Go into court, sign a few papers... ya know?"

Jerome shrugged. "Who cares about what the government thinks? We know who we are. We don't need their acknowledgment for us to be siblings."

Aria paused for a few seconds. "Yeah. We don't." The two of them continued walking, both feeling a little better about everything that had happened, but not entirely relieved. Though it was silent for a while they managed to strike up a conversation; they always did. 

Time went by, and Jerome and Aria got closer and closer to each other. Their bond went from friends to siblings, just as Aria had proposed. Though strangely to many, their relationship never reverted to romantic. It was just the way they were, they supposed. Eventually time had turned Aria from quiet and kept to herself into sharp, confident, and outspoken, a woman who refused to be walked over by anyone or anything. Jerome never was sure where she'd gained such a personality, but he had to admit, he liked it a lot. He, however, remained mainly the same, save for an added dose of insanity. Aria never seemed to mind this element of Jerome much, or at least she never said anything about it. 

For a while the two thought life was going to be simple, life had stopped bringing them surprises at last. But oh, how wrong they were. 


	2. Chapter 2

Life changed again when the police showed up at Aria's home. It was late; probably midnight or even later. She was trying- emphasis on trying- to sleep, but Aria had always had sleeping problems. But there wasn't exactly a doctor Aria could go to for a strict diagnosis, so she just lived with it. Someone banged on the door randomly, which shook Aria up. 

She paused. The person knocked again. Aria listened for her "parents'" footsteps. She couldn't hear them, so she, quiet as a mouse, stood up and walked to the door. "NYPD, open up!" Someone from the other side yelled. 

Aria froze in her steps. Why were the police there? Aria had learned how to fight over the years, but that didn't mean she could take down the police without consequences. She approached the door timidly, fear running through her body, then opened the door slowly. Aria only opened it by a crack. She looked out at the two officers, who were dressed in their usual uniform. "Hello?" she asked, trying to keep fear out of her one. 

The officers relaxed slightly as they saw Aria. "Hey, kid. What's your name?" one of them- redhead, brown eyes, freckles- asked. 

"Aria," she replied hesitantly.

"Er... can I ask why you're here?"

The police looked at each other, as if shocked. The other officer- black hair, black eyes, seemingly Asian- said, "To... arrest your parents. For abuse and-" 

Aria immediately opened the door completely. Another spike of adrenaline shot through her body, but doing something stupid or rash wouldn't do her any good. "Come in," she said calmly, almost sounding like a businesswoman. 

The police, slightly confused, complied. They rushed into the small apartment and immediately got to business. Aria stood by the doorway, listening to the commotion. Her father fighting them, her mother yelling swears. Aria then left the apartment building, looking around the parking lot and finding a police car. She decided not being at the scene would be best. For a second Aria paused, unsure what to do. Then she started heading over to the circus. 

~-~

"Alright, we better start heading back into the station," Officer Serine said, wiping sweat off of their forehead and sweeping their black hair out of their face.

Officer Janes nodded. He started to get into the shotgun seat, but frowned. "Wait. Where's the girl? Aria?" 

Serine paled visibly. "You mean she's been gone this entire time?!" 

Janes ran a hand through his hair, then sighed. "Okay, I'll go look for her." He looked back at Richard and Mary. "Ya think they'll know where she is?"

"Nah. They probably don't give a shit."

"Wouldn't hurt to ask." 

Serine sighed. They turned in their seat and asked Richard and Mary, their voice slightly raised and polite. "Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Nygma? Do you know where your daughter is?"

Richard Nygma scoffed. "Why would I give a shit where that bitch is?"

Serine looked back at Janes with an "I-told-you-so" look on their face. The latter just pursed their lips. "Fine. I'll ask around." Then he paused and frowned again. "Odd thing I can't get my head wrapped around... she looks Asian, she's tan as fuck, but her parents are both white and pale as hell."

"Maybe she-" Serine gestured to Mary with their head- "had an affair."

Janes shrugged. "Maybe. Alright, I'll go look for the girl now. You'll be okay?" His partner nodded. "Alright. I'll be by the station soon."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

The officers then split up, and Officer Janes sighed. He looked around the neighborhood, then started searching.

~-~

Aria, still being as quiet as possible, looked around the camp of trailers for the circus. She stopped in front of the snake dancer trailer and wondered what Lila would do if she knocked. She'd come to the realization that Lila was abusive long ago, just as Jerome had come to the conclusion that Aria's parents were abusive. Aria decided to knock on Jerome's window, which she continued to do. After a minute or two Jerome, his hair messy and bags under his eyes, appeared at the window, which didn't open no matter how much WD-40 they used on it. "Ari? It's the middle of the night," Jerome said tiredly, but he didn't seem to be complaining.

"I know, but this is important," Aria whispered back. Jerome was tired as fuck, but he could still see the panic and the seriousness in Aria's eyes, in her far-too skinny face. 

Jerome hesitated for a second. "Okay, okay," he muttered, then his face disappeared from the window. Aria waited a few seconds, and her friend then showed up next to her. "So what's happening?"

Aria and Jerome walked to their usual spot in the park, Aria explaining what had just recently happened. "Well, that's good! Your parents are gone!" Jerome said. 

But the look on Aria's face said otherwise. "Yeah, it is. But... I don't know where I'm going after this. I think..." she paused. "I may go with my brother."

Jerome froze. Of course; Aria wasn't 18 yet, she couldn't just stay at the circus. She needed to go with someone, a relative, and her closest one was her bastard of a brother. "But..."

Neither of them knew what to say, but their silence shared an agreement- "I don't want to split up with you." Eventually Aria sighed and stared Jerome straight in the eyes. "If we get split up..." she patted her jacket pockets and stopped on one. Then she took its contents out, which was a small, slightly beaten-up box. "Well, I meant to give this to you for your birthday, but I may as well give it to you now."

She gave the package to Jerome, who took it with trembling fingers. He handled the box as though it were made of glass, like it was a priceless treasure from the Mayans. Aria watched as he slowly opened the box and lifted a necklace out of it. It was a silver chain with two charms by the bottom; a thin rectangle with "BROTHER" inscribed on it, and the yin side of the ying yang. It was a childish gift, but Jerome had never felt so... warm. He choked on his own words. 

Aria understood. She smiled faintly and scooted over next to Jerome so they could touch shoulders. The latter looked over to her with tears forming in his eyes. "Jerome..." Aria said, using her thumb to wipe off a tear running down his face. 

Jerome swallowed. He finally croaked out, "Thank you." He then decided to put the necklace on, hiding it under his shirt. Only God knew what Lila would do if she found out... 

Placing her head on Jerome's shoulder Aria whispered, "Happy birthday." 

The two enjoyed their last moment together in silence. They'd come a long way since the beginning; from strangers to friends to siblings. And even though it was midnight, Jerome stayed by Aria's side until they heard the officer coming. Then they scrambled to leave, rushing quick "goodbye's" and "I'll-miss-you's" before they left. As they left, both of their faces were tear-stained, both of them were crushed, and both of them were hiding it. Jerome went back into the trailer home, and Aria went with the officer. Neither knew when they would see the other again, the future uncertain. 


	3. Chapter 3

Well, Aria wasn’t wrong. After a bit of questioning and some paperwork, most of which left Aria bored out of her mind, she was informed that her brother would be coming from Gotham- Gotham? Seriously?- and that he would take custody of her. Though she hid it behind a firm yet blank look and a small nod, Aria was… furious? Worried? She wasn’t sure, but she sure as hell knew she did not want to go with… Ed.  
But the knowledge that Aria would be able to leave soon- she was 17 at that time, and only had to wait a couple of months before she turned 18- gave Aria hope. She figured she could hold on until then, working hard and making money to go back to the circus, the one that never moved despite being called a moving circus. They were like an old horse that had once been a glorious war vessel, but that had lost youth, had lost stream. It would honestly be better to put them to rest. It wasn’t exactly a happy thought, but it was hope at the least. And if there was one thing Aria knew how to do, it was sit down and hold her tongue until she got what she wanted. And beat the shit out of people. But that was beside the point.   
Aria waited half a day for her “brother” to come. The police insisted on keeping her at the station- probably afraid she would run away again- so it was pretty boring. Aria was just nodding off in her hard plastic seat when an officer walked into the room, followed by a tall, slender man, clearly in his late 20’s or early 30’s, who had on glasses and a well-tailored green suit. He was nervous, fiddling with the buttons on his suit. Aria flared her eyes, all tiredness gone. Though she looked nothing of him, she knew from the way he puffed out his chest anxiously, the fearful yet confident look in his brown eyes, that this was her brother.   
“Miss Nygma,” the officer said to Aria.  
“Aria.” She kept her gaze, which was heavy and furious, on Ed. “I’d die before I considered myself a Nygma.” Something that used to confuse Jerome, but something he accepted regardless. She liked that about him.   
The officer nodded. “Aria. This is your brother.”  
Aria lowered her head slightly, her eyes remaining trained on Ed’s face. An intimidation method Aria had learned at a very young age. She remained silent, though, waiting for Ed to start the conversation. Eventually he started, “Er- hi. I’m-”  
“Edward Nygma.” The girl’s sharp tone cut Ed’s greeting statement straight in half. He recoiled, surprised. “I’m aware.” Aria suddenly felt a wave of anger wash over her, leaving a cold feeling in its wake. For a second she wanted to give up on her plan to wait until she turned 18, but Aria knew it was simply anger fogging up her mind. She inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm herself down.   
After an hour, which were mainly filled with more paperwork, Aria and Ed were driving in an unusually large car that may as well have been a limo. The atmosphere was awkward and silent, which was unfortunate since they had a three hour drive ahead of them. Halfway through they stopped at a gas station, which Aria only remembered because Ed tried to ask her to ask the guy at the station to send gas to the closest pump, but he paused and just went to do it himself. Aria stocked up on cheap snacks and then they left.  
When they arrived at Gotham, Aria was instantly hit with what she mentally noted as "city smell." Cigarette smoke. Food from the closest restaurant, usually pizza or burgers of some sort. That smell you only get from cars that've been running for hours on end. Burning rubber. Something sour that Aria later learned was drugs. She'd grown up in a rather small city; this was far different.   
Aria remembered, clear as day, being astounded as hell by the mansion that they'd pulled up to. It was like something from a movie, and had to cost at least a few million to make. "Someone has a sugar daddy," Aria commented flatly.   
Ed flushed slightly. He sputtered, "No- I- that-"  
"I was fucking kidding," Aria r meplied, looking at the man strangely. She walked over to the trunk of the car and got her small, battered suitcase out, which was the only thing that held her belongings other than the equally beaten backpack Aria was wearing. Most of what she had was clothes and every gift Jerome had ever given her in the past. They were mainly hand-made, and yes, shitty and impractical, but Aria held them close to her heart anyways.   
As Ed and Aria started walking in, another man walked out of the Manor. He was short, a few inches over five feet for sure. The heavy limp he had, caused by his seemingly crippled leg, brought his height down an inch or two. But at least he was well dressed, and had the air of someone who recently gained high power. Aria could read people well; it was one of her best and worst qualities. And she could tell that this man was someone to be wary of, but he seemed... alright.   
She, Ed, and the other man met each other in front of the manor. "Oswald. This is Aria," Ed said. The girl decided to nod in greeting, testing the waters.  
The man, apparently Oswald, smiled at Aria without showing his teeth. "Hello, Aria. I'm-"  
"Oswald Cobblepot," Aria suddenly remembered. She wasn't sure where she remembered that name from, but something about a newspaper headline and a rather serious conversation with Jerome popped up. She played off the random memory and continued, "Pleasant. So you're friends?"  
Oswald and Ed looked at each other. “Something like that,” Ed replied.   
Aria raised her eyebrows, but she stayed quiet. This didn’t feel like something to prod into. Not now, anyways. “Hm. Pleasure. Not really, that was just the first greeting that popped into my mind. Anyways.” The girl walked past Oswald and headed into the manor, the door slamming closing behind her. Both men looked at each other, a sense of bewilderment and “how-are-we-supposed-to-do-this” in their eyes. Ed just sighed and walked in behind his sister, Oswald following him promptly.   
Well, Aria didn’t turn out to be too bad. For the most part she kept to herself, and in fact, neither Oswald nor Ed saw much of her. She went to a public school, having promptly refused to go to a private or boarding school, and kept her general aesthetic of black faux leather street rat. The press didn’t care about her very much, which was probably a good thing, given that Aria hated crowds and especially hated people. In fact, everything was mainly peaceful. Until the gala.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, we’re going off-canon again. So Jerome is a later addition to the Maniax; he doesn’t actually join until a day before the Charity gala scene. Anyways

Jerome wasn’t sure how to feel about Theo Galavan and the others. He’d been arrested, taken to Arkham, and then taken out. A part of him warmed up to Theo, but the other was still wary. In Jerome’s mind, the other part had the voice of Aria, the same hiss she used to warn him to “be fucking careful, you impulsive bastard.” He trusted that part more, especially since Aria was notorious for reading people like a book. She was right about Cicero, wasn’t she? But the largest part of him was promptly flattered by Theo, wanted to trust him. 

Jerome shook his head of the thought; he had other things to worry about. Like Greenwood. Jerome stood still, staring Greenwood right in the eyes-  _ “Never look away from someone if you want them to be intimidated. Looking away is a sign of weakness. Hell, point your head down a little, but keep your eyes on ‘em. Makes you look more intimidating.” _

The two of them were 12 when Aria told him that. She’d been wise from the beginning; Jerome could only imagine where she was now. Theo took a revolver out of his pocket and emptied it of the bullets. “You all know this game,” he said, holding up a singular bullet. 

_ Jerome could remember that day clearer than… well, day, Aria scrunching her nose in disagreement as they and Jeremiah watched a group of drunk men passing around a gun and pointing it at their heads, pulling the trigger. “What the hell are they-?” Jerome asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight. _

_ Aria pursed her lips. “It’s called Russian roulette.” She grabbed the both of them by the arm and started pulling them in the other direction. “It’s a stupid game. Basically gambling, but with your life. It’s idiotic, there’s no fucking point in it.” _

“Love it,” Jerome replied with a smile. He turned back to Greenwood as Theo put a bullet in the chamber of the gun. He readied it, and held it out by the barrel.

“Who wants to be the boss?” Theo asked.

Neither Jerome nor Greenwood reacted at first. “Ladies first,” Jerome said.

Greenwood took the gun and put it to his head, hesitating slightly. Then he pulled the trigger, flinching, but nothing happened. With a wide and crooked smile he passed the gun to Jerome, pressing the barrel to his chest. Jerome took the gun and examined it slightly. “Hey, Greenwood. What’s-”

_ “-the secret to good comedy?” Jerome asked Aria. He’d wanted to be a comedian, they both knew that.  _

_ Aria was never sure why he asked her, of all people. Her humor relied more on sarcasm and wit than anything. But she thought hard and replied- _

“Timing,” Jerome said after firing the gun at his head. Of course, he was still alive. Readying it again he asked, pointing the gun to his cheek- it would have blown his fucking brains out if it fired- “And what’s courage?”

_ Who better to ask the question to than Aria? Maybe she was shy and timid at first, but now? Well, you better pray you didn’t get into a fight with her. Otherwise she’d beat your fucking ass up.  _

_ Without hesitation, Aria replied, “Grace-” _

“-under pressure.” Another empty shot. Another chance taken. And a likelier chance. Jerome could have stopped then. But had he proven himself yet? He examined Greenwood’s eyes. The answer was no. “And!” The ginger pointed the gun to his chin. “Who’s-?”

_ “-the boss?” Aria promptly roundhouse kicked some perv, knocking him dead. He, at the time, had been rating Aria’s looks, her ass, her… chest. Having had enough, Aria put an end to it, especially since he was doing the same with other women.  _

_ BANG!  _ Greenwood flinched before Jerome’s eyes. “I’m the boss.”

_ Aria gave the man on the ground a victorious smirk. “I’m the boss.” _

With a mad cackle, Jerome knew that he’d won. He saw a submissive, defeated look in Greenwood’s eyes that he could remember seeing in that perv’s face after Aria had beaten him to the ground. It was sickly satisfying seeing that happen by his own hands. Jerome pressed the back end of the gun on Greenwood’s chest. Theo then intervened, taking the gun. “I believe you are, Jerome,” he said. “I believe you are.”

For a second, a part of Jerome flourished with the praise. But he hid that part of him and simply said, turning to Galavan and bowing, “Arigato, Sensei.” He took the katana from Greenwood with a few childish, “Hoo! Hee!”’s that took him back to a time when he and Aria could do whatever the fuck they wanted whenever they wanted to. Aria would roll her eyes at the gesture, like she did before, but she would smile in the end. She always would.

~-~

A day or two later, Aria fell sick and couldn’t go to a charity gala that Oswald and Ed, as the Mayor and Chief of Staff, had to go to. She wasn’t remorseful about not having to go. In fact, she was elated. Aria was very clear about how much she detested having to go out and meet fancy, rich people who cared about nothing but themselves, fancy dresses, and good wine. So the chance not to go may as well have been a fucking Bitcoin. 

But she was actually sick as hell. In fact, she slept through the entire gala. But when she woke up, the world was a lot different than it had been when she fell asleep. Aria didn’t remember a lot of the exact details, but she did remember Oswald telling her everything, Ed having to do paperwork in his office. She remembered trying to restrain from letting the color drop from her face, remembered having to keep up a stoic and slightly disgusted mask the entire time. For some reason, she wasn’t shocked it was Jerome doing this. Maybe it was her mind failing to come to terms with everything, or maybe she knew, all along, something dark was brewing inside her friend- her brother- that she’d just accepted like everything else about Jerome. After he’d explained everything, Oswald left Aria’s room. 

She remembered sitting there for a while. An hour, or maybe even longer, just trying to process everything. It took a day for Aria to finally be able to be functional. Thankfully, she was sick, so that was an excuse to not do anything. Ed and Oswald probably just assumed her immune system was still fighting off the deadly disease attacking it, but in reality Aria’s mind was fighting off the reality of everything that had recently happened. 

Aria didn't even know how she managed to get up the next day. It was like someone was commanding her every move with a marionette, nothing she did felt normal. Maybe it was a good thing Aria didn't remember a lot of what happened after Jerome died. She didn't know, couldn't remember. And honestly, she didn't want to know. 

It was always strange to her, how everything in her mind, for at least two weeks, was just black. There was one moment Aria could remember, though. She was sitting in class, drawing a doodle of Jerome absentmindedly in the margins of her notebook. Aria was never good at drawing people, but that was probably the best she'd ever done. She remembered blanking out, and then blinking and realizing. 

The picture was quite the spitting image of Jerome, down to the structure of his face, the smile others described as spine-chilling and freaky as hell, but the one that Aria simply knew as her brother's smile. She had to rush to erase the doodle, but Aria didn't think anyone had noticed it. But that was all. Aria had supposed her mind, overwhelmed and unwilling to come into terms with reality, had just wiped everything out. She knew that it happened sometimes, especially during very traumatic moments. 

When Aria's memory started working again, Oswald was nervous. Pacing. He'd just revealed to Aria, who pressed him for information, that he was in love with Ed. They were in the living room, or at least Aria thought they were. "Okay," she replied. 

Oswald paused. "So... you're okay with it?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah." She stood up- had she been sitting down?- and stared Oswald dead in the eyes. "Just remember that Ed has the emotional knowledge of a toddler. He may be smart as fuck, but when it comes to feelings, he..." she shook her head. "You know."

And then she walked away. Afterwards Aria had decided not to become involved in anything that happened, never saying anything or even asking Oswald how things were going. It worked, for a while. Everything was peaceful, pause for the occasional tense conversation. 

That was, until Isabella. 


	5. Chapter 5

Ed sighed as he picked up his pen again. He had a large stack of paperwork that needed signing, and got to work. Read. Sign. Read. Sign. Read. Sign. Over and over and over. Until finally, _ finally, _ the stack of unsigned papers was replaced with a pile of signed ones. Ed leaned back in his chair and sighed, this time contentedly. He looked over at Aria, who was sitting on a couch by the opposite side of the room. She was sitting perfectly still, staring forward blankly and biting her lip. Ed looked closer and noticed she was rubbing two charms together, which were stringed on a thin black cord. One of them was the yang side of the yin yang, and the other was a thin rectangle with something inscribed on it, but Ed was too far away to read it. 

“Is everything alright?” he asked quietly, still slightly concerned. Aria had just recently overcome a nasty case of fever; perhaps she was still having a few symptoms? 

Aria looked up at him, but quickly went back to looking forward blankly. “Fine,” she replied, her voice sounding so far away yet so clearly there at the same time.

Ed paused, unsure how to go forward. He wanted to ask if everything was okay, but knowing Aria she would just leave. He had to be careful, had to be gentle. “If you need anything…” the man started hesitantly. “I’m here.”

His sister looked up with a scorning glare. “Gee, where have I heard that before?” She stood up, her necklace burying itself under her shirt, and quickly stormed out of the room. 

The chief of staff paused. He was used to Aria’s constant comments that reflected on her bitterness towards him, but this time it felt… different. Like a barrier, a distraction. A Trojan horse, if you will. Ed decided not to give it too much thought; it was more than likely that Aria was just having a bit of a roadblock in life. She was strong, she could get through it. 

A few days later Aria was still acting strangely. She was more quiet than usual, keeping to herself and not even bothering to take the chance to insult Ed any time she could. Ed even propped himself up for it; he openly left space for Aria’s harshest criticisms and her sharpest words, but she said nothing. Of course, this was noticed by Oswald, who eventually spoke about it with Ed about it in the latter’s office. “Ed?” Oswald asked, knocking on the wall next to the door.

“Come in,” Ed replied, looking over some paperwork without focusing on what he was reading. 

Oswald limped inside the room, buttoning his suit with steady fingers. “I’m sure you’ve noticed what’s going on with Aria.”

“Of course,” was Ed’s response. He gave up on the paper, placing it down along with his pen, and focused his attention on Oswald. “So, what do you suppose is happening?” 

Oswald was about to be slightly critical of the way Ed sounded as though he was asking for theories on a murder, but he reminded himself that that wasn’t Ed’s intention. “I’m not sure,” he replied. For a second a theory that had been on his mind rested on the tip of his tongue. It was far-fetched, but Oswald had been looking into his idea for a bit. “Perhaps… it has something to do with Jerome Valeska.”

Ed immediately raised his eyebrows. He knew Oswald was usually a man of reason, except when he was having a temper tantrum. But at this moment he was calm; timid, almost. “Why do you think that?” He replied. 

Another pause. “Well, from what I’ve gathered, Aria used to live very close to Haly’s Circus, where… well, you know. It’s possible they could have known each other, especially since the circus was there for so long.” Oswald shrugged and sighed. “It’s just a theory. But… well, it can’t be a coincidence that the same day Jerome Valeska died was the same day Aria started acting… like this.”

Ed pursed his lips, the gears in his mind turning as he pondered the thought. “Possibly.” He stood and started heading out the door. 

Oswald stared at him as he left, knowing he was probably going to investigate the idea. He stood by the doorway, trying to think of what to do. For a few seconds he debated on talking with Aria, but she would either jump out of the window or stab him in the heart and let him bleed out right then and there. He decided to pick up Ed’s paperwork, give him a bit of a break while he investigated. 

Neither men ever came to a conclusion on what happened, but their strongest suspicion was still that. One day Oswald noticed that Aria had added another necklace to her collection, this one a thin silver chain instead of a thin black cord. He never saw what there was on the end, but it was definitely something three dimensional instead of something flat. Over time Aria started being herself again, always waving away her change in attitude (that lasted around a week) as Ed and Oswald’s imaginations, or that they “worried too much.” But for the most part, everything was the same after that.

Until, of course, Isabella. Aria never liked Isabella to begin with; she never liked how quickly she and Ed got together, how they barely got to know each other before dating. Thankfully she and Kristen had never talked, though. However, when Isabella ended up dead, Aria knew that something was off by the way Oswald acted. She couldn’t put her finger on the reason, but she could just tell. But Aria didn’t want to put her nose into anything that could cut it off, so she stayed out of it. 

Which Aria later regretted. She should have known something was up long, long ago. She should have known better than to believe that Ed and Oswald were both out of the villain business, if you will. But Aria’s stupidity got the best of her. She didn’t remember the path she took, couldn’t remember for the life of her why she went or how she got there, but she could remember, clear as day, standing there at the dock, eyes wide at the scene in front of her. 

It was gloomy. Dark. Cold. Thundering. It was suiting. Especially to Ed’s gravelly, unmerciful tone, especially with Oswald’s pleading voice. Aria watched on the sidelines, her mind screaming at her to move, but her limbs refusing to obey, and her ears shutting down completely and entirely. A cold shock went through Aria the entire time, and she somehow felt numb and scared at the same time. Neither men seemed to notice her. They blathered on, Oswald desperately trying to convince Ed not to kill him. Aria did nothing the entire time. Until…

**_BANG!_ **

Aria watched with wide eyes as Oswald looked at Ed, raw betrayal and pain in his eyes. And she watched as Ed grabbed Oswald by his tie… and shoved him into the river. 

For a moment, time stopped. Blood pounded in Aria’s ears. She knew what she was going to do was stupid, that there was such a small chance she would come out alive… but she did it anyways. Aria’s legs and arms finally obeyed her will again, as she rushed by Ed and jumped into the river. Faintly behind her she could hear Ed yelling her name, but Aria gave him no notice. He had his chance. He wasted it. 

Water rushed by Aria, almost like some omnipotent force was trying to keep her from moving, and it took her spiraling out of her control. Then her vision went black. In hindsight, Aria was glad that she couldn’t remember what had happened. It was probably gruesome as hell and painful as fuck, especially since it was in a river. Aria was sure, when she was in the river, that those would be her last moments. But oh, how fucking wrong she was. 


	6. Chapter 6

When Aria woke up again, it fucking hurt. She’d imagined what it was like to be struck by lightning before; this was pretty much that. After the initial shock, Aria felt like she had just been born again. Literally. She couldn’t remember anything. Well, she remembered how to speak, move, use proper grammar, etc, etc, but Aria couldn’t remember any pieces of her personal information. She didn’t even know her name, her age. 

What did she look like? Aria looked down at herself. She was thin, not just “oh I’m a model on Vogue” thin, but seriously underweight thin. And tan; Aria got the feeling she was the type of person who didn’t burn, they just tanned. There was a thin, fading scar in between her middle and index knuckles, which was only two inches long, maybe a little shorter. 

“Good morning, Miss,” a man said to her. His voice was smooth, but an underlying tone suggested that Aria dare not trust him.

She looked over at the man. He was bald, tan, had a very strange beard, looked remotely Asian, and wore small, circular wire glasses that had red tinted lenses. Then, for a few moments, Aria listened to what was happening around her. She could tell her hearing was sharper than it used to be, but couldn’t exactly remember how it “used to be.” It was just a gut feeling. And Aria got the sense that she would have to listen to her gut a lot if she wanted to get out of this… place. 

There was beeping, a machine working. Someone was breathing in and out heavily, like their lives depended on it. Then Aria realized that someone was herself. She calmed herself down slightly. “It’s alright, I’m here,” the man continued. Aria regained her composure as the man- who she just noticed was wearing a pristine lab coat- asked, “Can you tell me who you are? What your name is?”

For a second, Aria paused. Who… was she? She thought. Hard. Tried to remember, tried to recall. But nothing. A theory passed through Aria’s mind; what if she was a lab experiment, a clone brought to life or… some other sci-fi shit. But for some reason, Aria was certain, absolutely 100% sure, that she wasn’t just some… being brought to life, created in a lab. She may not have remembered it, but she knew she had a past, had parents, maybe even siblings, friends. 

Wait. Siblings. Friends. 

_ Jerome?  _ Aria suddenly thought.  _ Well, that came out of nowhere, self. _ The girl frowned, though. She was fairly sure that it wasn’t out of nowhere. She knew that name. The fact that it came up when Aria thought of “siblings” and “friends” either suggested they were her sibling or friend. Or both? She pursed her lips. “I know someone. Named Jerome,” was her response.

The man raised his eyebrows. Aria knew that he wasn’t expecting that answer; in fact, she was pretty sure he wasn’t even expecting any answer. And out of nowhere, a cold sort of feeling rippled through Aria’s gut, and a strange feeling, almost like tingling, rose to her fingertips and rested right where her canine teeth and her gums met. She froze, unsure how to continue.  _ Don’t trust him. Don’t give him any information, Aria, _ a small voice inside of her whispered. 

She frowned. “Is… my name Aria?” The question was meant to be internal, but it came out of her mouth anyways.

The man’s eyebrows arched higher. “Yes, yes it is. You’re doing very well, Aria.”

Aria sat up in the chair. It was made of leather, and it was damp. Ugh. “Who’s… Jerome?”

A pause. Aria could tell the man didn’t have an answer. “Shh, shh. Rest now. I’ll be with you momentarily,” Red Glasses replied. Then he walked out of the room, Aria following his back with her eyes. The other scientist, who Aria just noticed, walked out with him. 

And then she was alone. Huh. It was almost nice, being alone. Even if it was dark as hell and the only light source was from a flashing red light in the wall in front of Aria and something emitting a light blue, almost white light behind her. She leaned back in the chair, mind buzzing with so many thoughts it was impossible to focus on one. Then all of a sudden, as if her brain was using a microscope to focus, one thought became clear as glass.  _ I have to get the hell out of here. _

Aria shot up quickly. She knew that the little voice in the back of her mind was right; she needed to get out. She didn’t trust Red Glasses (and yes. She was calling him Red Glasses.) or anyone he worked with for a second, and just had a gut feeling that if she stayed she could die. Or worse. Aria quickly searched around the room, looking for an easy way out. Air vents, maybe? But of course, there were none.

_ Okay, Aria, just stay calm. _ If only she were an ant or something. Then she could sneak out of the room without anyone noticing, and everything would be so much easier.

Aria frowned as her vision started… shrinking? Like she was slowly lowering herself, but… she wasn’t. And she could feel herself becoming… smaller. Her limbs shortened and thinned out more, and two other… growths emerged from the side of her torso. They felt a little like legs. On Aria’s mouth and forehead, things started growing. The thing on her mouth felt like… mandibles? And on her forehead, antennae? 

Everything felt so strange. Aria was suddenly rather hyper aware of her surroundings, her eyes picking up on the movement of two wires in the background, and her antennae sending signals through her mind every… oh, five seconds or so. She could only think of two reasons for this. One: she was hallucinating and slowly going insane. Two: she could turn into an ant.

The girl turned around in her seat, feeling unsteady all of a sudden, like the chair underneath her was suddenly as soft and bouncy as a trampoline. She froze as her antennae sent a warning: “Someone’s coming.” And on cue, Red Glasses and his colleague walked back into the room. But Aria’s shock was immeasurable as Red Glasses swore under his breath and hissed, “She’s gone. Lock down the building!”

“Sir, do you think she somehow managed to master her powers-?”

“In ten seconds? No, she had to have escaped somehow. She wouldn’t know how to control them.”

Red Glasses and the other scientist left the room, their steps quick and sharp. Meanwhile, Aria couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Powers? Her? No, it couldn’t be. Or… could it? Aria paused. Then, slowly, she started walking. But obstacles in the form of two added legs and her arms having turned into legs blocked such a simple task.  _ Okay, so I’m not going insane, _ Aria thought as she tried to master the art of walking with six legs. As she tripped onto her new mandibles, she sighed. Ah, shit. This was gonna be a while.

Eventually Aria got the hang of it. She repeated,  _ Left 1, Right 1, Left 2, Right 2, Left 3, Right 3  _ in her head, moving her legs in to the rhythm of her little chant, until her body started doing it subconsciously. It took a few moments, but soon Aria found herself at the edge of the chair. The chair had an added section for it’s owner’s legs, which provided Aria with a bit of a ramp. But once she was at the edge she knew jumping off would be deadly, especially with her body being about twenty times smaller than usual. 

Aria, at first, tried to work out how to get on the ground as an ant in her head. Then she realized; why would someone only give a person the power to turn into an ant? Plus, the chances of Aria only being able to turn into the first thing she could think of was close to zero. She had to be able to turn into other animals. After thinking for a second, Aria figured she would turn into a moth. She would be small, discrete, and would blend in with her surroundings. 

The only question was, how? Aria knew she’d only been able to turn into an ant because she thought of it. So, she thought about turning into a moth.  _ Moth. Brown. Small. Lightbulbs. Uh…  _ What else would a moth think about? She looked down at herself. Nope, still an ant.  _ Okay. Just turn into a moth. Turn into a moth. Come on, Ari. _ For some reason that nickname felt familiar. She repeated the chant in her mind, willing herself to turn into the small, furry butterfly-like insect until… 

Aria gasped as something on her back started growing. The mandibles on her mouth disappeared, and her antennae grew longer, her legs becoming sturdier as well as longer. Aria felt short fur growing all over her body, and she knew she was a moth. Huh. Aria always assumed that moths- and even ants- saw things differently than humans, not just in terms of height difference. But everything was the same. 

Enough. Aria didn’t have time to think about such things. She took a deep breath and willed her wings to start flapping. They did, but Aria panicked as she raised herself into the air, and she rocked side to side unsteadily. Eventually she managed to steady herself. “Okay, me. Same thing with the legs. Just… flap. Go forward. Flap. Go forward. Okay, we’re getting the hang of this,” Aria muttered to her moth self as she started flying out of the room. Thankfully Red Glasses left the door open, so she was able to leave easily. 

Aria escaped the room and turned around the corner, flapping her wings and feeling… free. Slightly nauseous, too, but also, free. For a second she didn’t care about the fact that she was probably going to be killed soon, she was just in awe of the fact that she was fucking flying. But Aria mentally slapped herself and forced herself to focus. She had no idea where she was going, but she decided to just keep on turning right and praying it would work for her. Aria sometimes flew over the heads of various scientific looking people, guards, etc, etc, but none of them even gave her a second glance. It was wonderful to be a moth, huh?

Eventually Aria found an air vent. Thank god; her wings were starting to get tired. She decided to take a chance and flew straight inside of the vent through the gaps, wondering how the fuck she did that in one try. Aria figured traveling through the vent as a moth wouldn’t do her much good, but being a human wasn’t the best idea either.  _ Time to test out another animal, huh? _ she thought. Figuring she was safe, Aria decided to take her time thinking. Maybe a hare? It was small, quick. It would work. 

Aria, praying to the gods, mentally willed herself to become a hare. This time, it happened much more quickly than it did beofre. Her wings, antennae, and two extra legs disappeared, the fur on her body grew longer, and she herself got larger. Aria decided not to take up too much time, and she started at a run, despite not knowing where the hell she was going. As long as she was getting out of there, she was good.

That day, Aria got lucky. She followed a path straight forward and found the exit. Not believing her luck, Aria sat there for a few seconds, nose twitching. Then she decided to morph back into a moth- nobody would blink if a moth left an air vent, right? At that point the process of turning into different animals was starting to become familiar to Aria. It was still a little off-putting, but she was getting used to it. She flew out of the air vent, deciding not to even bother looking back, to just keep flying until she couldn’t anymore.

And it worked. As Aria flew around the city (Gotham?), taking everything in with a bird’s-eye view, her moth-y self in awe, she started to wonder just who the hell did this to her. And why? Maybe to use her as a weapon? That made the most sense, especially with the vibes Red Glasses radiated. Well, too bad for them, huh? 

Aria faintly remembered something. The streets. Jerome. The circus? The first two parts made at least a fraction of sense. But that last bit was just as confusing as everything else. The girl shook her head; she needed to focus. “Okay, me. We need to get to safety. Shelter. Water. Food. Shelter comes first, though.” 

Suddenly, a memory shot through Aria’s mind. She nearly stopped flying, then decided to stop on a lamppost. To sell things more, she turned into a crow. Nobody seemed to realize the fact that a crow materialized out of nowhere, which was good. Aria looked around to make sure she was safe, then closed her eyes and focused. 

_ Aria was sitting in a grassy lawn. It was gloomy and cold out; hence the fact that she was wearing a hoodie two times her size and a smaller, more fitting jacket underneath. She heard sniffling, and turned to the left. There, a boy- maybe ten or eleven- sat, with pale skin, red hair that looked nearly brown, but Aria knew otherwise, and dark green eyes sat. He had on a thin, green long-sleeve shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes that needed replacing.  _

_ He was shivering, but Aria could tell it isn’t just from the cold. The boy’s eyes were red and puffy, and tears streamed down his cheeks. Every once in a while he sniffed, clearing his nose. “Jerome?” Aria heard herself saying. But it didn’t feel like she was the one speaking. And her voice sounded high pitched, younger. She supposed she was roughly the same age as the boy. _

_ The redhead- apparently Jerome- wiped away his tears. He slapped a fake smile on his face. “Yeah, Ari?” he replied. This must’ve been a nickname he had for her.  _

_ The girl stared at him for a second. Then she slowly, making her movements clear, placed a hand on Jerome’s shoulder. Something in Aria told her that the boy didn’t like sudden movements. She said, “It’s okay.” _

_ And then the waterworks started flooding. Jerome, completely and entirely, started breaking down. Tears streamed from his eyes, staining his shirt and his cheeks, and he reached to hug Aria. Now, Aria knew enough about herself to know she didn’t like such kinds of physical contact. But she let the boy give her a hug; he needed it. He needed something to fill in the hollow, canyon-like cracks in his heart, needed someone to hold onto, needed someone to be there.  _

_ Aria just sat there, let the boy pull her in closer, and she started muttering small reassurances into the air, hoping he could hear her. In her ears she could faintly hear, beneath the sobbing and the sniffling, begging. And Aria’s heart started breaking in two as she heard desperate pleas for… Jeremiah to come back. Jeremiah? Who was..? _

_ That didn’t matter now. Aria knew enough to know that he had no control of what was happening- after all, she was in a memory, not a dream (though it was vivid enough to be a dream)- but she wanted to be there for the boy regardless. So, she sat there and listened. It took everything in her not to start crying, too, but one of them had to be strong. One of them had to be responsible. And clearly, it was up to Aria to be that person. _

When Aria opened her eyes again, they were warm and wet. Had she been crying? A single tear ran down her feathery cheek. Wait. Feathery? Oh, right. She was a crow. Aria shook her head, the tear flying off and landing on the sidewalk. Then she ruffled her feathers, a little nervous about flying again. She needed to keep moving, start trying to find somewhere to stay. It couldn’t be much different than flying as a moth, right?

Oh, to hell with it. Aria started flapping her wings, slightly unsteadily, and flew away. She didn’t know where she was going, but she just had to hope and pray that she got lucky again. But while she went, she couldn’t stop asking herself…

Who was Jeremiah?

**Author's Note:**

> Cliffhanger, I know, but I should be able to update today or tomorrow. Aaanyways I hope you enjoyed this, let me know what you think (if you'd like) :>


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